CFMEU rally: Workers down tools after horror Cross River Rail fall
The Transport Minister admits he would be concerned if he was a worker on Cross River Rail, but insists he’s the right person to improve safety, as union members strike over “widespread issues”.
QLD News
Don't miss out on the headlines from QLD News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Transport Minister Mark Bailey has admitted he’d be concerned to return to the Cross River Rail site if he was a worker as he ordered a detailed safety audit of the major project, with workers not set to return to work until Monday.
The admission comes in the aftermath of a workplace incident on an inner-Brisbane site that left a 54-year-old man fighting for life on Tuesday afternoon.
The man plunged 12m at the Boggo Road station site at Dutton Park, suffering extensive internal injuries.
The injured worker, who remains in a critical condition in the Princess Alexandra Hospital, has been revealed to be Nation “Nash” Kouka.
It is understood his son also works at the Boggo Rd site.
Members of the CFMMEU took protest action in Brisbane’s CBD this morning, with hundreds downing tools and marching through city streets changing “f--k them’, “workers lives are not for profit” and “Cross River fail”.
It comes amid claims there had been more than 300 enforcement notices issued by the regulator over safety concerns at Cross River Rail sites since the start of the project.
The union’s state secretary Michael Ravbar said the incident wouldn’t have happened if safety protocols had been properly enforced, targeting Transport Minister Mark Bailey.
“Our thoughts – and any support we can offer – are with the family, friends and colleagues of the injured worker. His welfare, and that of those directly impacted by this inexcusable incident, are our main priority right now,” Mr Ravbar said.
“We have been warning the state government since the start of this project that safety standards were grossly inadequate, and that a culture of fear leaves many workers too frightened to speak up on safety or other issues.”
Workers have walked off the job until Monday, July 31.
Contractors are expected to uphold “the highest possible standards” the Cross River Rail Delivery Authority has said in a statement confirming the Boggo Rd site will be shut until the safety regulator says it’s appropriate to reopen.
“Our continued thoughts and prayers are with the worker, his loved ones and his colleagues,” the CRRDA statement noted.
“This is a very sad incident, and its impact is being felt right across the project today.
“Safety pauses are also occurring across the project’s other worksites today, with safety checks occurring across sites, including on erected scaffolding.”
Mr Ravbar said transport minister Mark Bailey had “run out of excuses” and accused him of ignorance “of major safety issues”.
“Despite Mr Bailey’s protestations to the contrary, officials from the CFMEU and other construction unions have directly raised serious safety and other issues with him and his senior staff on numerous occasions,” he said.
“The time for bullshit excuses and cheap PR stunts is long past. It is up to Mr Bailey to fix this mess, or for Premier Palaszczuk to appoint a Minister who will.”
Mr Bailey, who discussed the workplace incident on radio this morning, says reports that he said he was not aware of safety concerns were incorrect.
“Safety issues had been raised and I acted immediately to have them rectified,” Mr Bailey tweeted.
Speaking to the media this afternoon, Mr Bailey said he was shaken by Tuesday’s incident, but maintained instances of safety issues on the major rail project was “a lot lower than industry average”.
He rejected assertions from reporters and the CFMMEU that he should stand down as a result of the tragedy, declaring he was the right person to lead the improvement in overall safety practices.
Mr Bailey admitted he’d be concerned to return to the Cross River Rail site if he was a worker as he ordered a detailed safety audit of the major project.
He said the horrific incident that has left a worker fighting for their life has “shaken” the Minister’s confidence in the overall safety practices.
“There is no doubt that this is a wake up call,” Mr Bailey told reporters on Wednesday afternoon.
“We’ve got to take this opportunity to make sure that this is the one and only incident.
“What I want to see as part of this reset is for us to make sure that every single concern that any worker has comes to the surface, is investigated and is dealt with.
“We have a pause of work, we’ll be checking all scaffolding on every single part of every single site.”
Mr Bailey rejected calls from the union to resign in the wake of the incident, and maintained the injury rate for workers at the Cross River Rail project was lower than industry standards.
He also insisted he has appropriately responded to safety concerns on the project in the past following criticism from the union.
“The CFMEU are not backwards in coming forwards – we all know their style,” the Minister said.
“But they represent workers and I respect them.
“When they’ve brought issues to us, we’ve acted to have them rectified – they’ll keep doing that, and we’ll keep working with them.”
Mr Bailey confirmed a safety audit was conducted to examine scaffolding at the Boggo Road site recently, which was given the tick of approval.
But he said this building material was separate to the scaffolding involved in the incident this week.
“The scaffolding that was examined a week and a half ago, or thereabouts, would not have been the same scaffolding that this gentleman was working on,” he said.
“There are safety audits – we do a lot of safety compliance across the site regularly and continue to do that.”
The CFMMEU’s Queensland assistant state secretary Jade Ingham said the project’s head contractor, CPB Constructions, had confirmed a complete site wide audit of scaffolding and formwork had been conducted by the safety regulator about a month ago
Mr Ingham said the “unanimous” decision of workers who gathered this morning was to down tools across the 13 project sites until at least Monday, with their demands including an overhaul in workplace culture to ensure people aren’t penalised for raising safety concerns.
“Union officials like us come and go to respond to complaints and listen to arguments and fix things, but these workers are living and breathing the culture on this job,” he said.
“Such an emotional meeting, hopefully the government finally sits up and listens.
“We’ve been talking to the government about this project and our concerns with it.”
The incident on Tuesday occurred in front of horrified workers, with emergency services requiring a crane to extricate the man after he fell.
He was rushed by ambulance to Princess Alexandra Hospital where he remained in a critical condition on Wednesday morning after undergoing emergency surgery.
Speakers at this morning’s protest detailed previous safety incidents at various Cross River Rail construction sites, including a pin falling from a crane and almost hitting a worker, while they also claimed union officials were not being allowed access to work sites.
The union stopped its march at 155 Charlotte St, believed to be the office of Cross River Rail contractor CPB Contractors, and delivered a list of demands the union had voted on earlier this morning.
Staff from CPB Contractors met union officials and entered the building with them.
Deputy Premier Steven Miles said a workplace incident at the Cross River Rail site was “incredibly distressing”, with the circumstances to be “fully investigated”.
Mr Miles said he had a pre-scheduled meeting with the CFMMEU today where the issue would likely be discussed.
He said the government would meet with the union should they request it.
Mr Miles said the Cross River Rail project was “absolutely critical to the future” of the city’s transport network.
“But of course, we want it to be safe as well. We don’t want to see anyone injured and so all of those concerns will be thoroughly considered by that investigation,” he said.
Opposition Leader David Crisafulli said it was crucial investigators got to the bottom of what had occurred at the Cross River Rail site, saying “Queenslanders deserve to come home in one piece”.
“We have to acknowledge that this is incredibly traumatic for workers, family, colleagues, and first responders – this is a situation no one ever wants to see,” he said.
“Everyone deserves to go to work, make a living, and come home in one piece.
“Now in the weeks and months ahead it’s important that investigators get to the bottom of it.”
Asked about allegations made by the CFMEU that the site was unsafe, Mr Crisafulli said “I think today our focus has to be on the worker, their colleagues and their families”.
“There are questions that need to be answered, and it’s vital we create an environment where people can go to work and come home in one piece,” he said.
“Everything that the government does should be focused on providing a safe working environment for Queenslanders.”
Originally published as CFMEU rally: Workers down tools after horror Cross River Rail fall
Join the conversation
$98bn question: Who is this man and what does he stand for?
He will likely be in control of Queensland’s Treasury benches in two weeks, but he hasn’t yet been sighted in the election campaign.
Read more
Pants-wearing female student fails in challenge to school skirts rule
A female Queensland high school student who wore pants to school has failed in a discrimination complaint over being forced to wear skirts to formal events. VOTE IN OUR POLL
Read more